Protective face mask

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a face mask for use with a sports helmet. The face mask comprises a frame which is sized and shaped to surround at least a portion of the face of a user, and is connectable to the helmet. A shielding member is connected to the frame, and has a plurality of wires arranged in a grid, which define a plurality of openings therebetween. At least a portion of the wires are made from high tensile strength transparent wires.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns protective face masks, and more particularly a protective facemask for use with a sports helmet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Protective headgear is now commonplace in many sports. In sports which involve the use of projectiles such as, for example, hockey, lacrosse, cricket and ringette, protective face masks are often incorporated into the protective head gear. The headgear and facemask combination provide a user with a physical barrier, which protects the face and head from injury. The masks are typically cage-like and concave away from the user's face and provide protection from impact of the projectiles and sticks. The cages are typically made from stainless steel wires which are manufactured to form a grid-like pattern, the wires being connected such that they define a number of openings. The openings provide the user with largely unrestricted air flow, yet are small enough to prevent the passage of the projectile therethough. A number of examples of cage-like masks include those described in Canadian patent application numbers CA 2,359,919; CA 2,349,424; CA 2,228,336 and Canadian patent number CA 2,184,216. While these designs are simple and straightforward, they suffer from an important drawback. Generally, the wires are made of a material which obstructs the users vision such that he or she is constantly aware of the metallic grid in the field of vision. In sports which rely on being able to view a fast moving projectile, such as in ice hockey, this can impair a user's effectiveness as a player. To address the inherent problem of cage-like masks, a number of alternative designs of protective face mask have been produced. In one example, such as in Canadian patent application number CA 2,320,634, a transparent visor is connected to a portion of the cage or to the helmet and lies over the areas of the face that are require protection. The transparent visor can be a full face facemask or it can be a half facemask. The transparent visors are made from a transparent polymeric material which although they provide an essentially clear field of vision to the user, they suffer from a number of important disadvantages. The visors tend to fog with condensation from the breath of the user, which over time reduces the transparency of the visor. The full visors also restrict air flow and the half visors do not provide full protection to the eyes and mouth. Furthermore, condensation must them be removed which can be distracting to the user and temporarily remove him/her from the game. Moreover, the visors are prone to surface scratching which also causes impairment of the field of vision. More importantly, scratches on the visor's surface may compromise its ability to withstand impact.

Thus, there remains a need for an improved protective face mask for use with a sports helmet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention reduces the difficulties and disadvantages of the prior art by providing a protective face mask with a transparent wire grid that is able to withstand high velocity impact from sporting projectiles. The transparent wires significantly reduce, or essentially eliminate, the vision problems associated with the standard metal grid systems. Furthermore, the problems of visor fogging and air flow, which reduces the effectiveness of full face or half face visors, are essentially eliminated. The facemask can be retrofitted onto existing helmets and maybe easily replaceable if damaged. The facemasks are made from lightweight material and provide protection to the face.

Accordingly in one embodiment of the present invention there is provided a face mask for use with a sports helmet, the face mask comprising:

-   -   a) a frame, the frame being sized and shaped for substantially         surrounding at least a portion of the face of a user, the frame         being connectable to the helmet; and     -   b) a shielding member connected to the frame, the shielding         member having a plurality of wires arranged in a grid and         defining a plurality of openings therebetween, at least a         portion of the wires being made from high tensile strength         transparent wires.

Typically, the transparent wires are resiliently deformable. The transparent wires are rigid. The shielding member is made from a plurality of high tensile strength wires arranged in grid and defining a plurality of openings therebetween. The openings defined by the wires are sized and shaped to prevent a hockey puck, a ball, or a hockey stick to pass therethrough. Typically, the shielding member is releasably connected to the frame. The frame includes: a) upper and lower frame portions, the upper frame portion having two spaced apart dampers for disposing the frame away from a forehead section of the helmet; and b) first and second side portions, each side portion having at least one helmet connector for attaching the frame to the helmet. The frame further comprises two reverse snap holders for connecting the shielding member to the frame. The frame is releasably attachable to a front portion of the helmet. The transparent wires are fixably mounted in a peripheral support. The peripheral support includes a plurality of frame connectors for releasably connecting the shielding member to the frame. The frame is made from a lightweight plastic material. The transparent wires have a thickness of about 7 mm to about 15 mm. In one example, the frame includes a securing portion to permit hingeable connection to the front portion of the helmet. The face mask further includes a chin strap connected to the helmet. The frame is releasably connected to the chin strap. The frame is hingeably connected to the chin strap. In one example, a portion of the shielding member is made from non-transparent wires, the transparent wires being located in a viewing portion near the eyes and nose of the user. Typically, the helmet is a hockey helmet.

According to another embodiment there is provided a sports headgear, the headgear comprising:

-   -   a) a helmet; and     -   b) a protective face mask having a frame, the frame being sized         and shaped for substantially surrounding at least a portion of         the face of a user, the frame being connectable to the helmet; a         shielding member connected to the frame, the shielding member         having a plurality of wires arranged in a grid and defining a         plurality of openings therebetween, at least a portion of the         wires being made from high tensile strength transparent wires.         Typically, the helmet is a hockey helmet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the description in association with the following Figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a protective face mask of the present invention connected to a hockey helmet;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the facemask connected to a hockey helmet with a chin strap;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a frame;

FIG. 3 a is a diagram of a transparent wire grid removed from the frame;

FIG. 3 b is a diagram of a transparent wire; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an alternative embodiment of the facemask.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions

Unless otherwise stated, the following terms apply:

The singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” include corresponding plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

As used herein, the term “comprising” is intended to mean that the list of elements following the word “comprising” are required or mandatory but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, in which a face mask of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in use with a sports helmet 12 as part of a protective sports headgear apparatus. As illustrated, the sports helmet is a hockey helmet, although the face mask 10 can be used with other sports helmets such as, for example, a baseball helmet, a cricket helmet, a lacrosse helmet, a ringette helmet and the like. The facemask 10 may also be used with a helmet 12 having a chin strap 13.

Broadly speaking, the face mask 10 comprises a frame 14 and a shielding member 16. The frame 14 is sized and shaped to substantially surround at least a portion of the face of a user. In one example, the frame 14 is sized and shaped to be located near the entire periphery of the face. In another example, the frame 14 is sized and shaped to be near the periphery around the nose and eyes of the user.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 3 a, the frame 14 includes an upper frame portion 16, a lower frame portion 18, and two side frame portions 20, 22. The upper frame portion 16 include two spaced apart dampers 24, 26 which allow the frame 14 to be disposed away from a forehead section 28 of the helmet 12. The dampers 24, 26 are attached to the frame 14 by either screwing them into existing holes on the helmet or drilling new holes. The frame 14 is releasably attachable to the forehead portion 28 of the helmet 12. Generally speaking, the two side frame portions 20, 22 are disposed inwardly at an angle of about 20°, although this may be changed depending upon the design of the frame 14 or the preference of the user. The two side frame portions 20, 22 each include one or more helmet connectors 28, 30, which are used to attach the frame 14 to the helmet 12. Additional helmet connectors may also be attached to either of the upper or lower frame portions 16, 18. Also contemplated within the scope of this invention are hingeable connectors which would allow the frame to be hinegably connected to the helmet 12 to allow the user to temporarily move the shielding member from the face to, for example, eat or drink, without having to disconnect the frame completely from the helmet 12. The frame 14 further comprises two reverse snap holders 32, 34 for connecting the shielding member 16 to the frame 14. If used with the chin strap 13, the frame 14 may be releasably connected to it. The frame 14 is typically manufactured from a lightweight plastic material such as, for example, a clear plastic/Plexiglas material as is currently used to strengthen clear full face visors.

Still referring to FIG. 1, 2 and 3 b, the shielding member 16 is connected to the frame 14. The shielding member 16 includes a plurality of wires 36 which are arranged in a grid (or mesh) and which are permanently fixed to a peripheral support 35. The peripheral support 35 includes a plurality of snap connectors 37 which engage the reverse snap holders 32. The peripheral support 35 is manufactured from a lightweight plastic material such as, for example, a nylon, slightly extensible fabric, or rubberized material that is sufficiently deformable to wrap around, or onto the frame 14. The wires 36 snap, using the reverse snap holders 32, onto the rear of the frame 14 and is wrapped around the front. Generally, speaking the wires 36 are arranged so that they define a plurality of openings 38 between the wires 36. Typically the openings 38 are rectangular or square, but one skilled in the art will readily recognize that they can be any shape provided that the openings are sized and shaped to prevent the passage of an object therethrough. Such objects include pucks, balls, sticks and the like as typically employed in sports for which face protection is desired. At least a portion of the wires 36 are made from high tensile strength transparent wires. The transparent nature of the material from which the wires 36 are constructed serve to significantly improve the field of vision available to the use, while still retaining the shielding capability. The transparent wire material is resiliently deformable such that the wires 36 are collectively able to withstand the impact of one of the aforesaid objects. In another example, the transparent wires 36 may be made of a rigid transparent material. It is not uncommon however for a user to require replacement of a damaged shielding member 16 and as such, the shielding member 16 can be releasably connected to the frame 14. This allows the user to discard a damaged shielding member 16 and replace it with a new one without having to replace the whole face mask. The transparent wires 36 each have a thickness which is typically about 7 mm to about 15 mm depending upon the required vision and/or impact resistance, and are manufactured to conform to the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), the ASTM, CEN and ISO. These bodies have established strict testing and performance requirements for wire cages, which include impact, penetration and visibility testing. These requirements depend on the intended use for the cages and the age of the user.

Alternatives

Referring now to FIG. 4, an alternative embodiment of the facemask is shown generally at 100. The facemask 100 includes a shielding member 102, which is manufactured from non-transparent, stainless steel wires 104 and which is connected to the helmet 12. The shielding member 102 includes a viewing portion 106 which comprises a plurality of transparent wires 108 arranged in a grid. The wires 108 are located adjacent the eyes of the user and provide unimpaired viewing, whereas the steel wire 104 provide impact protection for the mouth and nose. The transparent wires 108 are connected to the stainless wires 104 by looping the ends of the transparent wires around a plurality of wire projections 110 which extend into the viewing portion 106. The wire projections 110 are the ends of the stainless steel wires 104 which surround the viewing portion 106.

Kit

With reference now to FIG. 1, 2, 3 and 3 a, it is contemplated that the facemask 10 would be manufactured and sold as a kit. The kit would include the facemask 10 and instructions on how to mount it to various sports helmets. Also included with the kit would be cleaning and care instructions.

All publications mentioned in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference.

Other Embodiments

One or more embodiments have been described by way of example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims: 

1. A face mask for use with a sports helmet, the face mask comprising: a) a frame the frame being sized and shaped for substantially surrounding at least a portion of the face of a user, the frame being connectable to the helmet; and b) a shielding member connected to the frame, the shielding member having a plurality of wires arranged in a grid and defining a plurality of openings therebetween, at least a portion of the wires being made from high tensile strength transparent wires.
 2. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the transparent wires are resiliently deformable.
 3. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the transparent wires are rigid.
 4. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the shielding member is made from a plurality of high tensile strength wires arranged in grid and defining a plurality of openings therebetween.
 5. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the openings defined by the wires are sized and shaped to prevent a hockey puck, a ball, or a hockey stick to pass therethrough.
 6. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the shielding member is releasably connected to the frame.
 7. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the frame includes: a) upper and lower frame portions, the upper frame portion having two spaced apart dampers for disposing the frame away from a forehead section of the helmet; and b) first and second side portions, each side portion having at least one helmet connector for attaching the frame to the helmet.
 8. The face mask, according to claim 7, in which the frame further comprises two reverse snap holders for connecting the shielding member to the frame.
 9. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the frame is releasably attachable to a front portion of the helmet.
 10. The face mask, according to claim 4, in which the transparent wires are fixably mounted in a peripheral support.
 11. The face mask, according to claim 10, in which the peripheral support includes a plurality of frame connectors for releasably connecting the shielding member to the frame.
 12. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the frame is made from a lightweight plastic material.
 13. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the transparent wires have a thickness of about 7 mm to about 15 mm.
 14. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the frame includes a securing portion to permit hingeable connection to the front portion of the helmet.
 15. The face mask, according to claim 1, further includes a chin strap connected to the helmet.
 16. The face mask, according to claim 15, in which the frame is releasably connected to the chin strap.
 17. The face mask, according to claim 16, in which the frame is hingeably connected to the chin strap.
 18. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which a portion of the shielding member is made from non-transparent wires, the transparent wires being located in a viewing portion near the eyes and nose of the user.
 19. The face mask, according to claim 1, in which the helmet is a hockey helmet.
 20. Sports headgear, the headgear comprising: a) a helmet; and b) a protective face mask having a frame, the frame being sized and shaped for substantially surrounding at least a portion of the face of a user, the frame being connectable to the helmet; a shielding member connected to the frame, the shielding member having a plurality of wires arranged in a grid and defining a plurality of openings therebetween, at least a portion of the wires being made from high tensile strength transparent wires.
 21. The sports headgear, according to claim 20, in which the helmet is a hockey helmet. 